Alpha Protocol - Preview @ GamesRadar

April 23rd, 2008, 23:28

The first preview on the web we've seen, GamesRadar has a look at Obsidian's Alpha Protocol:

Yet what Obsidian want to stress more than anything is that Alpha Protocol is a role-playing game. You’ll have multiple missions open in different hubs around the world (locations currently being bandied about include Taipei, Rome, Moscow and Saudi Arabia) and you’ll be able to flit between them at will - each one containing one overarching operation and a cavalcade of minor missions leading up to it - be they stealing sensitive data on a hard drive, tailing suspects or extracting information from grumpy NPCs through bribery, diplomacy or murder most foul.

I read the byline. It says "Words: Will Porter, PC Zone UK". You are probably right but that doesn't categorically state if the article is a complete republish or based on the PCZ article or if Will from PCZ simply wrote it - I'm not going to sweat about it.

You make it sound like I'm disparaging him? I don't understand. GamesRadar is a Futurenet portal just the same as CVG is…you don't complain when we link to a CVG article that was probably sourced from PC Gamer UK. Since they're all the same company, what's the problem?

Considering it's friggin' Aliens, I don't think we'll see less run-and-gun in that game.

I'm overreacting a bit because I was hoping more from Obsidian's debut original IP, and spy-based sounded tantalizing to me. But the game just doesn't sound that interesting. That doesn't mean it won't be good, but I was tired of this RTwP run-and-gun aRPG genre before it even started.

I kind of like the run and gun RPG hybrid genre, but that doesn't mean that every game should be like that. But that's the way it is with ervery hype, I guess - copy the formula that worked and hope for better sales.

Originally Posted by Brother None
PS: still smells too much of the new genre of RTwP run-and-gun RPGs a la Mass Effect/Fallout 3 to me. Don't like that.

Well, this part sounds very promising:

“Essentially, the player chooses a ‘stance’ for Thorton (suave, professional,
or aggressive - although the actual breakdowns branch a great deal from this) and then Thorton responds appropriately - and amusingly,” explains Rucinski, having selected his own internal suave stance. “The dialogue system is also set up so that you can’t repeatedly have the same conversation with an NPC to try to find the ‘best’ answer or all the information available. This means that if you are a jerk to a person you will get a reaction the next time you talk to them. It reinforces how important that first impression is.”

Conversations will whip along at a realistic pace, with you selecting changes in how Thorton responds to maintain the flow of real-life chatter. Gaming’s former forays into the lives of secret agents, Deus Ex aside, have only ever focused on the guns-blazing elements, and perhaps a pretty lady or two in cutscenes. Alpha Protocol wants you putting in the legwork, doing the reconnaissance, chatting up the receptionists and looking moody in fancy hotels - it knows the excitement isn’t all in the violence, but in the setup, the situation and the supporting cast. In premise and pedigree, it’s a sure-fire license to kill. Let’s hope the execution is as flawless as it needs to be.

If it can capture some of the feel of the old PnP RPG Top Secret, I'm there.